Simone (The Ciprianos of Kellington Book 2) (3 page)

“Oh, I could see that
for myself, I swear you gulped so many times it was unreal. That flower you
gave her was trembling along with the rest of you. So what happened on the
actual date, man?” He noticed the smile on Simone’s face and knew that it must
have been something amazing.

“You
did all of this for me?” Delia smiled as the chauffeur opened the door for her.

When
they were both inside and the car was in motion, he took her hand and smiled.
“I told you I planned on making this evening together very special. Now there
is another part but you’ve got to be blindfolded.”

“Blindfolded?
Why do I have to be blindfolded?”

“Because
it’s going to be a surprise, Deedlebug, so put this eye mask over your eyes.”
He handed her the black mask. A smirk swept across her lips as she took the
mask and put it on before she lay back against the seat with a sigh. He
couldn’t keep his eyes off of her for she literally had taken his breath away
with how beautiful she looked. Taking her hand, he felt her immediately squeeze
it as tightly as she could.

“Thank
you, Simone. I have to admit I’m really nervous. This is of course, my first
date with anybody.”

He’d
always known that Delia was a bit on the “thick” side but she never made a big
fuss about it. She was well-liked in school, never picked on by any of their
fellow students. But she never did get any of the guys asking her out on dates,
which was odd because she was so well-liked. As they made a turn up along the
driveway of his home he wondered if maybe she had been holding out for him all
this time. He had planned on having an intimate dinner in his mother’s garden,
and he let his mother pick out the decorations while he and his brothers put up
everything along the garden. Simone had wanted this to be a night that she would
never forget.

Once
they pulled up to the front, he got out of the car and helped her out. “Just
hold onto me and I’ll lead the way.” Simone assured her as they made their way toward
the back gate. When he knew that the time was right he asked her, “Are you
ready?”

She
smiled, “Yeah, I’m ready. Can I take this thing off my eyes now?”

“Go
ahead Deedlebug, you can take it off.”

Once
she removed the mask, complete astonishment was displayed upon her face to the
point that she was literally brought her to tears by what she saw. She covered
her mouth as her eyes scanned her surroundings, slowly walking around. He
watched her looking over everything. He hadn’t thought it was too overwhelming
but for her it must have been because she didn’t say a word for the longest
time. The radiance from the white paper lanterns that hung along the lines only
made her even more beautiful. Walking slowly toward her, he took out a
handkerchief, handing it to her so she could dab her eyes and nose. “I can’t
believe that you did this all for me.” He smiled as he felt her arm wrap around
his waist to hug him, resting his head on top of hers while looking around
himself. “Come on, let’s sit down to eat.” They walked over to the pergola,
which was lit up with a huge lantern in the middle and some candles scattered
around the table which was set for two. Showing her to her chair, he sat down
across from her and handed her a small silver bell.

“What’s
this?”

“Just
ring it.”

Taking
the hint, she picked up the bell and rang it. Looking around she waited to see
what would happen next. That was when Gianni and Federico came out from the
house with domed cover plates, putting one in front of each diner. Simone
noticed the way they both were looking at Delia. He knew they had to be in as
much in shock as he had been when he first saw her. Gianni popped open a bottle
that was in a bucket of ice next to their table. “Don’t worry, it’s sparkling
apple cider.” He winked as Delia smiled and Federico took off the domes which
were over their plates. Taking a deep whiff of the homemade fettuccini
alfredo
, she smiled up at him after he said, “Buon
appetito.” Both brothers left the two alone again as they began to eat.

Simone
had to admit that the night was going pretty smoothly. Delia began to open up a
bit and he found out a lot more from her that he hadn’t really known, like her
love of books from classic authors, primarily those of romance and drama. She
loved the same kind of movies that he did from the silent era. “You know,
there’s a theatre over in Bristol that plays silent era movies every Saturday,
want to go with me sometime?” Simone asked her.

“I’d
like that. I honestly don’t find that many of my friends like those kinds of
movies. Don’t get me wrong, I do like some of the current movies, but for me there
is nothing like sitting back and watching the people’s reactions on screen.
Watching the way their faces and their movements tell the story. Why didn’t you
tell me you liked silent movies?” Delia asked, sipping her cider.

“Well,
I honestly didn’t know what you would have thought if you found out that
someone like me liked that stuff. But when I find out what’s playing, I’ll let
you know and you can come with me.” Simone smiled when he noticed her blushing
just a bit. He was enjoying himself with her for he felt so at ease with Delia.
Why hadn’t he thought about asking her out before? “All right, ring the bell
again.”

Grabbing
the bell, she looked around while ringing it and smiled when she saw the
brothers coming out once again. Gianni grabbed both their plates while Federico
placed another covered plate in front of her and Simone nodded as his brothers
left them alone again. He moved closer to her as she looked on. “What’s this?”
she asked with a cock of her brow.

“Dessert”

Removing
the dome from the plate, Delia squealed with delight when she saw a big slice
of homemade cheesecake with strawberries. “Your mom is amazing because she
knows I love her cheesecake to death.” They both grabbed their forks and
started in on the cheesecake, and sometimes he would let her feed him some from
her own fork which he thought was funny and sweet. Once they got to the last
bite they looked at each other and then at the cheesecake on the white plate.
“You take it.” Delia told him.

“Oh
no, you take it. I’d feel bad if I took the last bite.” Simone assured her.

He
watched her edge her fork toward the piece but instead of just eating it, she
split the small piece into two even smaller ones. “There, now we can both have
a piece and I won’t feel guilty about eating it alone,” Delia told him with a
smile as they each took their piece and ate them together. Hearing her take a
deep sigh he watched her wipe her mouth.

“I
have to say, you sure do know how to make a girl’s evening, Simone. I don’t
think I’ll ever forget tonight.”

He
rose from his chair, helped her up from hers, and took her by the hand. “Well,
I have one more trick up my sleeve and I think you will like this one very
much.” They walked along the well-lit pathway hand-in-hand for a moment until
they came to a clearing where two men in tuxedos stood holding violins.

“What’s
all this?” she asked as Simone nodded toward the men and they began to play a
beautiful song. Soon he took her gently in his arms, taking one of her hands in
his and wrapping his other arm along her back. They both swayed softly along
with the music in the garden that night. Simone had only hoped that she enjoyed
every part of this evening they were spending together.

Chapter Four

“Wow, it seemed like
you both had a really nice time. She did tell me about the dance though, but
honestly, she didn’t tell me about any of what happened until about two weeks
later. I kept pestering her over and over again because of course, I was very
nosy.” Andrew smiled as they had made their way to the front door.

“So, it’s dinner on
Sunday at Mom’s, right?”

“You know it, man. I
wouldn’t miss it for the world, much less miss seeing the rest of you guys. But
listen, man, just let it go with Delia. Honestly, nothing can come between you
two ever, except for a lifetime of friendship. Just be thankful for that, man.
I’ll see you on Sunday, all right?” Both men shook hands and gave each other a
hug before he watched his friend get into his car and leave. Simone thought to
himself that maybe his friend was right that he needed to try and move on from
Delia. She was happy, of course, in her current relationship. Why not be happy
for her and just be friends like they had always been?

After cleaning up after
dinner and cleaning the grill, Simone went to take a shower. Even though he’d
enjoyed the steaks he had cooked, he honestly couldn’t see himself going to bed
smelling like beer, steaks and smoke. The hot water stung his tanned skin when
he stepped inside and quickly he changed it to make sure it was cool enough for
him to endure. That’s what I get for not testing it before I got in, he
thought, grabbing the sponge and soap to lather up. He continued thinking about
what Andrew had told him about just leaving things the way they were and to
just move on. But there was a part of that story that Simone never shared with
Andrew, namely what happened during and after the dance.

Simone
had been holding Delia in his arms while they swayed to the music that evening.
Everything had been perfect for her and that’s what he had wanted. But he had
to admit that she felt like heaven in his arms as he held her. The perfume she
was wearing had consumed his senses. God, he wondered what she was wearing? “Can
I ask what that lovely perfume you’re wearing is?”

“Oh,
well, my mother had put some of hers on me since I was out of what I normally wear.
Do you like it?”

“
Mmm
, it smells divine.” He took a long whiff along her neck
as the heat from her body seemed to make her scent flow around them, enveloping
them like a cocoon. He didn’t understand what was coming over him at that
moment as he looked down into her eyes. Those beautiful brown eyes sparkling
with a smile to match them ever so perfectly. God, Simone thought, she was a
pure vision of beauty if he had ever seen one.

And
that’s when it happened, before he knew anything, their lips joined as one in
the garden. He knew he had taken her completely by surprise because she had
yelped when the kiss first started. But eventually he felt her lips soften
against his and she let his tongue play with hers as he deepened the kiss. A
captivating sigh and a whimper were both muffled when he felt her arms go
around his neck, her fingers running through the hair at his nape, which at
that time he had always kept in a ponytail. Not wanting to get too carried away
with their kissing, he slowly stopped while looking down at her face. Her eyes
were still closed, her lips parted and wanting more. But he wasn’t going to
give her more, at least not now. He poked the tip of her nose, and her eyes
opened to see him smiling as she did too. Soon, a laugh erupted from her as she
held him tightly once more around his neck in an embrace. “I can’t believe you
just gave me my very first kiss and at such a perfect moment, too. Oh, I love
you, Simone.”

She
repeated softly in his ear while he held her, “I love you, Simone,” as they
continued to dance. Those were the four sweetest words he had heard any girl
say to him in a long time, especially because it was a girl who meant more to
him at that moment than anything.

* * * *

Delia made sure that
she had some fresh towels for Andrew. She was anxious because he had told her
to expect some great news. He knew she hated to wait, especially when it came
to something she had to wait and find out. The phone rang and she grabbed it.
“Hello?”

“Delia. Hello my dear,
this is Mrs. Smith.” Even though Rodger’s mom was from Alabama, she tried to
make herself sound more regal. But of course, there was no denying the fact
that her voice reflected her origins.

“Why, hello Mrs. Smith.
I’m sorry that your husband wasn’t feeling well and we couldn’t come to have
dinner with you this past weekend. How is he doing?” asked Delia.

“Oh, he’s doing much
better now, thank you. He had a touch of the flu but I really wanted to talk
with you, though. Is there any way we can meet up to talk, probably this
weekend?”

“I would love to Mrs.
Smith, but my brother is in town and it’s the first time I’ve seen him in
months. Is there any way we can meet on Monday?”

“Monday would be fine.
How about we meet at Luana’s for lunch around noon?”

“That would be just
fine,”

“Goodbye”

That was really weird,
she thought, since Rodger’s mom had never called her before, much less invited
her for a private lunch. She could only hope and pray that maybe they could
come to some common ground. Looking at the clock once more, she wondered when
in hell Andrew was going to arrive since she had made reservations at
Filomena’s for dinner and she was starving. Going to the fridge to grab a small
handful of grapes, she started to sit down on the couch and wait some more. The
phone immediately rang and once again she picked it up, “Hello?”

“Hey, Deedlebug, what
are you up to?”

“Just munching on
grapes and waiting on Andrew.”

“He should be there
soon, he stopped over here on his way and we sat and talked for a while. I’d
give him another ten or fifteen minutes.”

“Lord and
I’m
hungry as hell, too. Oh well, I can wait a little while
longer, I guess. So how’s it been, working within the legal system?”

“Stressful and tiring
but
it’s
well worth it when you get the bad guy put
away and acquit those who are innocent. I am very thankful for the weekend,
though, so I can rest a bit.”

“Well, we all need our
rest. How long was this last one?”

“Hmm, let’s see here,
how about three grueling and frustrating as hell weeks. I honestly never
thought it would end plus I had to work with another lawyer that they had hired
in addition to me. This honestly, was the biggest pain in the ass, ever.”

“You need a vacation,
you know. Oh by the way, since you saw my brother first, did he happen to
mention anything about a surprise to you?”

“Actually he did
mention something pretty big but I know you’ll love it when he tells you.”

“Well, tell me then,
he’s been teasing me with it for over a month now. He won’t budge at all.”

Simone laughed. “If I
told you what he told me then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it? You are just
going to have to wait until he tells you in person. But I know you will love it
because I was very happy for him when he told me about it. You only have about
a couple of more minutes before he knocks on your door.”

“I can’t wait that
long, I’ve got to know now.” She giggled and he started laughing. She knew he
was up to her game of trying to weasel out info from him. “Fine, I’ll wait a
couple more minutes. I swear you are no fun, Simone.”

“But I am fun my dear
it’s just that with this bit of info, you want to be really surprised and not
playing at it.”

“Always the voice of
reason you are. Sounds like he’s pulling up, he must have put his foot down on
the gas.” She got up to look through the blinds but only saw a car driving by.
“No, that wasn’t him. So, are you going on a vacation or not?”

“I can’t for at least
another couple of weeks. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?”

“I was talking with
Rodger and I told him that I’ve always wanted to go to the Bahamas or maybe
Europe. Go all over Europe to certain places, and I’ve always wanted to go to
Italy. I used to love your mom’s stories about when she was a kid. Have you
ever been there?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve been to
Italy dozens of times. We have family there so it’s always nice to go and visit
them. I know they will feed you to death there and they love to dance. I think
you would fit in just fine because you’ve always had a zest for life and fun.”

“I bet I would have a
lot of fun there too.”

“I’d take you to all
the places that I know you’d like to go. Like to the famous
Trevi
Fountain. You remember that fountain, don’t you?”

“Oh, of course I
remember it. How can I forget that famous scene from La Dolce Vita? You know we
haven’t had a movie night in years. Next time you get the chance to get a night
off, let me know and we can have a movie night here.” Soon, a knock rattled her
door. “I think that’s Andrew, I’ll talk with you later, Simone. Take care.” She
hung up the phone and went to open the door as she saw car lights go off. She
saw Andrew coming out of the car, a big bouquet of flowers in one hand and his
bag in the other. He came running toward her as they hugged each other. “Oh,
it’s so good to see you and I’ve missed you so much.” Delia giggled as he
stopped and handed her the flowers.

The car alarm chirped
and the lights flashed as they both went inside. “Okay, ‘fess up. I want to
know this surprise. I tried to get it out of Simone and he isn’t budging worth
a damn. So come on, and tell me now.”

Andrew started laughing
as he looked at her. “You, my dear, are going to be an auntie.”

Her eyes widened,
completely stunned by what he said, “Oh my God, are you serious? You guys are
going to have a baby.” She hugged him tightly, laughing, and then all of a
sudden found
herself
crying. “That is so wonderful! I
am so happy for you both, we’ve got to go out and celebrate and I have reservations
over at Filomena’s tonight. You can tell Renzo about the good news too.” She
went into the bathroom to redo her makeup and freshen up again.

“I didn’t know that you
made reservations, I wouldn’t have eaten at Simone’s then. You said Simone called
you?”

“Yeah, he told me that
you had come by his place and you were on your way. I swear I’ve been getting
calls from him for most of the week. He sounded stressed-out from all of those
court cases he’s been dealing with lately. Plus you knew I made reservations, I
told you when we had talked. Well that’s fine, more food for me.” She was
putting on some lipstick when she saw Andrew standing in the doorway.

“How many times has he
called you?”

“Like every other day,
I think. Mostly it’s at work that he calls me. I told him he needed to take a
vacation from work,” Delia told Andrew while fixing her hair. She noticed her
brother deep in thought. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, but I
think you’re right about him being stressed out and all. He’s got a lot on his
mind right now and it’s not just work.”

She smiled while
walking out of the bathroom. “Somebody must be in love, then. It’s about time,
though. He’s been so tied up with work it’s nice to see he’s interested in
someone.”

Andrew chuckled as she
grabbed her purse and they soon headed out to town.

Filomena’s on a Friday
night was packed with most of the town. Both Delia and Andrew were shocked to
be able to actually get inside to the hostess podium. “I have reservations
under Delia Whitney.”

While the hostess was
looking over the book, Andrew saw Renzo coming from around the corner and
shouted, “Renzo!”

When Renzo looked over
and saw the two of them, a broad smile spread across his face as he came over toward
them. Quickly he grabbed Andrew and said, “Andrew, man, it’s great seeing you,
you look great. Come over to our table, I want you to meet my girlfriend
Jaslyn.” They all walked toward the back to a circular booth where Jaslyn was
sipping on some red wine. She smiled when she saw the group coming toward her.

“Why, hey there,
Andrew, it’s good seeing you again after all this time.” Jaslyn said, getting
out from the booth and going to him for a hug.

“You two know each
other?” Renzo asked in wonder.

“Of course I know
Jaslyn, hell I was the one who helped move her here to Kellington, so you need
to be thanking me bro for bringing her here to you.” Andrew told him with a
wink while Jaslyn laughed.

“That I do, with a free
meal for both of you.”

“Well, that’s great but
you might want to bring out some champagne because we are here to not only eat
but to celebrate as well.”

“Celebrate? What’s the
occasion?”

Delia looked over at
her brother who was smiling as big as a Cheshire cat and she found herself
smiling just as big.

“I’m going to be a
daddy.” Soon the congratulatory hugs and praises came to Andrew and in a way
Delia had never been as happy as she was at moment.